TOKYO - North Korea test-fired a short-range missile toward the Sea of Japan on Tuesday, government sources in Japan and South Korea reported.

Both Japan's NHK TV and South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted their respective governments with confirming the launch at 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Yonhap said military sources said the missile was not ballistic and had a range of about 60 miles.

It was the third such firing in 45 days and came as U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill announced progress in the agreement for North Korea to shut down its nuclear reactors.

Hill said Pyongyang now has access to $45 million in funds the United States had frozen in a Macao bank, which was a demand North Korea made in February as part of its nuclear dismantlement agreement, Yonhap said.